North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has begun throwing tantrums about the terms of his planned summit with President Donald Trump and the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula it’s supposed to advance. Supposedly, he’s upset at joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises and National Security Advisor John Bolton.

The real reason the mask of Kim’s charm offensive is slipping surely has more to do with the orders this puppet has received from his master, Communist China’s dictator Xi Jinping. If not before, certainly from now on, Xi’s interest in perpetuating the threat posed to us by his client will determine what, if anything, comes of U.S.-North Korean negotiations.

If that’s the case, there is no point to our legitimating Kim Jong-un – let alone propping up his horrifically repressive regime. And we are far better off knowing that now than discovering it later.